Mobilizations at Son Reus prison for precarious work and lack of safety
The union denounces constant biological risk, lack of protection and inadequate vehicles in the municipal service of Palma and demands to "urgently" open its own agreement with the concessionaire company Athisa
PalmaThe labor situation at the municipal incinerator of Son Reus, in Palma, has entered a phase of open conflict. The UGT union has announced staff mobilizations starting July 17th due to the “serious labor precariousness” and lack of safety in a service considered essential for the city.
The protests come after months of tensions with the concessionaire company Athisa, which the union accuses of not having responded to the workers' requests for meetings, as well as a lack of effective response from the Palma City Council to unblock the conflict.
UGT calls for the “urgent” opening of negotiations for a company-specific agreement that allows for the dignification of working conditions that, as they report, are “deplorable” and incompatible with the functions of the service.
Constant biological risk and lack of safety
The union warns that the staff works in an environment of permanent biological risk, with exposure to diseases such as rabies, leptospirosis or scabies. It also recalls the attack by a dog on two workers on December 1, an episode that has not led - according to their complaints - to sufficient improvements in occupational safety and health.
Among the deficiencies detected by union inspections are vehicles without access ramps, without individual cages or adequate ventilation, as well as the lack of compartmentalized troughs and measures to cope with high temperatures.
To this is added the lack of drinking water supply for the staff and facilities that, according to UGT, do not guarantee the safe isolation of the animals.
Insufficient equipment and possible legal non-compliance
The union also denounces that the protection equipment is insufficient: patrols are often carried out with limited material —a single protective suit and a shield per couple— and with containment elements that they consider inadequate.
Therefore, UGT warns that the current conditions could prevent compliance with current animal welfare regulations, and considers the conflict to be a labor, health, and also public service problem.
